Arcalous avyckoff



Patented Feb. 9, 1886.

A. WYGKOPP.

RAILROAD GATE.

(No Model.)

iran drames armar' rtree,

ARGALOUS VYCKOFF, OF ELMIRA, NEV YORK.

aAlLao/ocafre.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 335,790, dated February 9, 1886.

Application filed September 19, 1885. Serial No. 177,602. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern,.- y

Beit known that I, ARoALoUs WYoKoFF, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Elmira, in the county of Ghemung, in the State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in RailroadGates, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to railway-gates such as are used across roadways and sidewalks to protect teams and foot-passengers from danger of being struck by a passing train. The necessity for such gates has been fully recognized, as the danger of accident in crossing railway-tracks is well known, and many devices have been made for the purpose of overcoming this danger. Those in general use are usually provided with posts or standards at the sides of the roadway or walk,and often require considerable machinery to operate them, and they are more or less unsightly, and impede the free passage of vehicles or persons even when open.

The object of my invention is to provide a gate so arranged that when open for the passage of teams and persons the whole contrivance shall be below the surface of the road or walk, and all posts, standards, and the like are dispensed with, and at the same time the road-bed is continued smooth and level, so as not to interfere in the least with the passage of vehicles or persons.

To these ends my invention consists of a gate constructed substantially as more particularly pointed out hereinafter.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specitication, Figure l is a transverse section of aroadway, showing the gate open for the passage of teams, Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the gate closed to prevent such passage. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the railroad-track, showing the gates closed on each side thereof.

At each side of the track, or wherever it is desired to use my gate, a suitable trench or pit, A, is prepared, and the sides are properly timbered or laid up. with brick or stone, to form a receptacle for the gate, leaving an opening, B, through which the gate may be raised and lowered. In the trench a solid timber, C, is placed, and to this are pivoted the pickets or uprights D of the gate, to the other ends of which is connected by pivotal joints the top rail. rlhis rail consists of two parallel strips, F F', between which the standards are pivoted, to the upper edge of which is secured an iron or other suitable plate, G, which forms the top ofthe gate when opened, and when it is closed the strips accurately fit the opening in the trench, and the plate rests upon the timbers or side walls, securely closing the opening. The edges of the opening are preferably recessed, as shown in dotted lines ou the left in Fig. 3, to receive the plate G, so that it shall be llush with the street or walk. The sides of the pickets where they abut against the edges of the opening when the gate is closed-are provided with fillingpieees H, which entirely fill the opening at the surface of the ground, and strengthen and stiffen the gate and keep it from lateral motion, and make it stiff and stable without the use of any outside posts or standards whatever. This is an important feature of the gate.

The edges of the filling-pieces may be prop erly beveled or chamfered to prevent accidental binding in raising thegate..

The gate as thus constructed may be operated by hand, and a counter-weight, XV, may be attached to one or more of the standards to aid in raising the gate.

rlhe gates on each side ofthe railroad, when they are so used, are preferably connected together by a rock-shaft, S, so that they will be operated in unison.

If the gate is too large and heavy to be conveniently operated by hand, suitable gearing or a lever may be connected to the rock-shaft, and this may be arranged to be operated au tomatically from a distance by the passing train or by hand.

It will thus be seen that I provide a gate that has nothing to obstruct travel when open, and that may be readily closed, and will then offer a proper barrier to the traveler. It is also very simple, cheap, and not likely to get out of order.

I am aware of the-construction set forth in Patent'No. 248,953, dated November l, 1881,

and make no claim to anything shown therein. In testimony whereof I have signed my name ro Having thus described my invention, what I to this specification in the presence of two subclaim is scribing witnesses.

The combination, With the base-piece and 5 top rail of a gate arranged to operate n a ARCALOUS VYCKOFF.

trench, of the standards connecting the basepieoe and rail, and provided with filling-pieces IVitnesses:

to bear against the edges of the trench, sub- C. B. BROOKS,

stantially as described.' E. L. WYCKOFF. 

